We’ve mentioned before the benefits employees - and employers – often enjoy from the offer of flexible hours and the option of working from home, either part-time or full-time. More and more of us are asking for the freedom to choose our hours and where our workstations should be; agencies recognise that flexibility is one of the main elements that feature in the expectations and desires of candidates.

There’s no doubt that working from home boosts employees’ morale, but once they have permission, do they actually do that? Or do those enjoying this perk simply loll about on the settee in front of Jeremy Kyle and a raft of afternoon telly, before rushing around madly at midnight to complete the minimum amount of work required?

Joking aside, similar preconceptions concerning the activity of an employee working from home can be one reason employers turn down such a request. New research by CV-library, however, can put paid to such worries. According to their findings, employees that work from home are actually more productive than their office-bound colleagues, as well as happier.

1,800 professionals were surveyed and, surprisingly, just 18.2% worked from home, whilst 15.4% split their time equally between office and abode. Despite just a third being actual home-workers, more than four in five of those surveyed believed they were equally or more productive when working from home than office-based workers. The absence of a commute and fewer meetings also contribute, said 26% of those surveyed.

Effort is requisite: rather than ‘bunking off’ work like a truanting schoolkid, 65.8% of those working from home feel they work much longer hours than their colleagues in the office.

Said Lee Biggins, CV-Library’s founder and managing director: “Remote working is a model that is growing in popularity and we expect that to continue in the future. As technology evolves and develops, it becomes easier and more practical for companies to operate their businesses remotely, making employers more receptive to the idea of letting staff work from home. Our latest research suggests that attending fewer meetings and having no office distractions are two of the main reasons employees find they are more productive at home.”

With statistics like these, and considering that 83.2% found working from home allowed them to enjoy a better work/life balance, it’s not as easy to envisage downsides for both employee and employer from such a move.

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